


Hat Trick

by lasersheith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crack Played Straight, Frat Boy Keith, Frat Boy Shiro, Humor, Light Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-21 20:25:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15565752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasersheith/pseuds/lasersheith
Summary: No one has ever seen Takashi Shirogane without a hat on his head, or so the legends say....“I tell you what,” Matt said after Keith told him he'd figure out Shiro's secret, the real secret. “If you find out the true story behind Shiro's hat before your initiation ceremony, I will personally pay your dues until you graduate.”Keith's eyes glinted as he took another long swing from his beer. The steep price of brotherhood had been one of the few reasons he'd been wary about pledging. “What if I don't?” He asked suspiciously. It hadn't taken long to work out that Matt was an agent of chaos. No matter how confident he was in himself, he had to make sure it was worth the risk.Matt smirked. “You have to wear a Santa hat to the Christmas party.”Keith furrowed his brows. The punishment didn't add up with Matt’s smug look. His face paled as the realization dawned on him. “Just the hat?”Matt's smirk shifted into an impish grin. “I knew you were a smart one.” He said with a wink, sticking out his hand. “Do we have a bet, then?”Never one to back down from a challenge, Keith took Matt's hand and pumped it twice with determination. “You're on.”





	1. Chapter 1

No one has ever seen Takashi Shirogane without a hat on his head, or so the legends say.

Keith's pledge-master had told their class it was because he was actually 40 and balding, thus the little tuft of silver bangs that poked out of the backwards snapback he nearly always wore. Obviously Matt was lying, he'd tricked Griffin into believing that the quad was haunted and if he didn't hop on one leg past the big oak tree in the center that the vengeful ghost of some long-dead coed would rip his throat out. Matt couldn't be trusted, and all the other brothers either didn't know or didn't care enough to tell a lowly freshman pledge.

“I tell you what,” Matt said after Keith told him he'd figure out Shiro's secret, the _real_ secret. “If you find out the true story behind Shiro's hat before your initiation ceremony, I will personally pay your dues until you graduate.”

Keith's eyes glinted as he took another long swing from his beer. The steep price of brotherhood had been one of the few reasons he'd been wary about pledging. “What if I don't?” He asked suspiciously. It hadn't taken long to work out that Matt was an agent of chaos. No matter how confident he was in himself, he had to make sure it was worth the risk.

Matt smirked. “You have to wear a Santa hat to the Christmas party.”

Keith furrowed his brows. The punishment didn't add up with Matt’s smug look. His face paled as the realization dawned on him. “Just the hat?”

Matt's smirk shifted into an impish grin. “I knew you were a smart one.” He said with a wink, sticking out his hand. “Do we have a bet, then?”

Never one to back down from a challenge, Keith took Matt's hand and pumped it twice with determination. “You're on.” He replied with utter confidence. Even if he failed, Matt never said _where_ he had to wear the hat or how long he had to stay at the party. Not that it would matter, because Keith was sure he'd win.

..

It was easy coming up with reasons to seek Shiro out, he and Keith shared a major and he was the fraternity president. He was already at the house most of the time anyway, so he decided to go and pay Shiro a visit- scope out his target.

Keith hadn't planned on Shiro being so _nice._

Knocking softly on his open door, Keith smiled as Shiro jumped in his chair at the sudden noise. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.” Keith said what he hoped was disarmingly. “I'm a pledge, you probably don't remember me…”

Shiro smiled and the bridge of his nose and both cheeks flushed a faint pink. “No, of course I do. Keith, right?”

Keith nodded, a little touched that Shiro had apparently memorized all the pledges’ names. He was glad the frat he'd chosen had such a dedicated president. His ulterior motive almost made him feel a little guilty. Almost.

“So what can I help you with, Keith?” Shiro asked with a friendly smile, blush fading.

Keith rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Matt mentioned you were an aerospace engineering major, too, and I was wondering if you could help me with fluid dynamics.” He tried for embarrassed, and the way Shiro's face softened as he asked had Keith fighting back a smug smirk.

“Yeah, definitely. I just took that last term! Take a seat.” Shiro replied, gesturing towards the extra chair next to his desk. He walked over to a filing cabinet on the other side of the room and pulled a large three ring binder from the row of meticulously organized class files as Keith sat down and slid closer. “Wait aren't you a freshman?”

Keith shrugged. “Had AP credit for calc and physics so I went right into sophomore classes except English.”

“Nice, good work!” Shiro praised, holding up a hand for a high-five as he took his seat. Keith slapped the cold metal and it sent a shiver down his spine. “So what part’s been confusing you so far?”

In truth, none of it. Keith had gotten 100s on the first 3 homework assignments and a 95 on the first quiz. “Lagrangian space was always my weakest point in calc,” he lied easily, “so I'm a little bit confused on Lagrangian vs Eulerian flow and how to switch between the coordinate systems to calculate the velocities.”

Shiro nodded along. “Yeah, I had to spend a lot of time in Dr. Montgomery's office at the beginning of the semester. I have some really good notes, though.” He replied, gripping Keith's shoulder reassuringly. “You'll be acing it in no time.”

Keith smiled as Shiro lowered his hand, it was a sweet gesture. He stared at the hat as Shiro turned his head back to the notebook, explaining things Keith already knew. It would be easy enough to grab it, dart across the room and apologize, saying it was a silly prank that Matt had devised.

He didn't, though. He knew that it would be better to not burn that particular bridge, considering Shiro's high rank in the fraternity and what a good resource he could be in case Keith actually did find himself struggling with a class. It was just… practical.

So Keith didn't grab the hat, instead he listened as Shiro explained the concepts, surprised at how much he knew and how much more deeply he was able to make Keith understand than the professor was.

..

It became something of a routine over the next two weeks, working on his fluid dynamics homework in Shiro's room. It was due once a week, but Keith didn't do it all in one go. He'd swing by the house Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after he had lectures and work on the problems that had been covered that day. Keith made sure to ask a few questions, get Shiro's help every so often, so it seemed necessary for him to work there instead of the library or one of the study lounges in the house.

Shiro was impressed by his dedication and good studying habits. Every grasp on the shoulder led Keith closer to truth. Every high-five had him closer to winning Matt's bet.

“Hey, would you mind checking this for me?” Keith asked. He'd purposely done the problem wrong so Shiro would sit and explain it to him, point out the flaw in his math and the missing constant in his equation. “Answer doesn’t make any sense.”

Shiro saved the file he was working on and reached out his hand with a soft smile. “Sure, no problem.”

Even though he had his own homework, Shiro took Keith's paper and worked through the question diligently. He rubbed his prosthetic on the top of his hat and shifted it a few times.

It was something he did often, and Keith always watched in rapt attention for the slightest glimpse of what laid beneath. He never saw anything except the dark hair on the side of Shiro's head.

“You dropped a constant here, and I think your boundaries on this integral are off a little.” He said, handing the paper back, faint pencil circles in the spots where he'd noticed the errors. “Your approach is right though, and that's the most important part.”

Keith nodded as he took the sheet. “Thanks, Shiro.”

Shiro blushed. He always blushed when Keith thanked him. “Sure thing.” He replied, going back to his own work.

Keith redid the problem correctly and scooted his chair closer to Shiro’s, sliding the paper over. “Answer’s better this time,” he said with a smile.

Shiro smiled back and started looking over it again. While he worked through it, Keith faked a yawn and stretched his arms wide, bumping the side of his hand into Shiro’s hat and almost knocking it off. Shiro grabbed onto it at the last second and pushed it back onto his head. “Oh sorry,” Keith murmured.

The corner of Shiro’s mouth ticked up in a shy smile as his cheeks flushed. “No problem. Your math looks good, by the way. You fixed it.” He slid the paper back and ducked his head into his own notes again.

Keith cursed in his head, he’d have to find out some other way. In the meantime, he’d do his best to earn more of those soft smiles and blushes. He shook his head at himself for being in that deep all because of a stupid bet.

..

Keith almost got kicked out of the pledge class in October. He wasn’t sorry and he’d do it again in a heartbeat. Griffin deserved it.

After their “new member education” meeting that weekend, Matt had pulled Keith aside. “So how’s our bet going?” He’d asked with a cheeky grin, not even bothering to lower his voice so the other pledges wouldn’t overhear.

“Getting there. I still have plenty of time.” Keith said with a smug smile as he crossed his arms.

Matt shook his head. “If anyone’s gonna do it, it’ll be you, I guess.” He ruffled Keith’s hair just to be patronizing.

Hunk was first in the long line to grab Keith and demand to be clued in, but Keith refused to tell anyone. He grabbed Hunk’s arm to keep him from leaving as the rest of their class filed dejectedly out of the lounge. Making sure to keep his voice low, he told Hunk the whole story.

“Oh my gosh, you guys are so dumb.” Hunk shook his head and laughed.

Keith frowned and put his hands on his hips. “What? He’s _always_ got a hat on! There has to be a reason!” He was too emphatic, spoke too loudly.

He hadn’t noticed Griffin lurking behind them. “You guys talking about Shiro?”

It was a personal issue, the fact that Griffin’s voice made Keith’s skin crawl- he knew that. “No.” Keith and Hunk deadpanned at the same time.

Griffin rolled his eyes. “Come on, it’s obvious why he wears a hat. Look at his face.”

Keith glared. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He clenched his jaw tightly.

“Are you blind or something? He’s got a fake arm and a big gash on his nose! He probably looks like Frankenstein under there!”

Hunk didn’t even get halfway through correcting him on the _Frankenstein_ vs _Frankenstein’s Monster_ pedantry before Keith had taken two large steps and laid Griffin out cold.

It wasn't unusual for a wrestling match or a prank gone wrong to end up in a fist fight between brothers at the house. It just usually involved alcohol and didn't usually involve a trip to the campus infirmary.

Griffin ended up being fine, mostly. He had a minor concussion from crumpling to the floor like a sack of potatoes and two black eyes that made him look like a raccoon for weeks. He didn't press charges.

Keith refused to tell anyone but the fraternity disciplinary committee how he'd really almost broken his hand. At the meeting, he’d just picked at the bandages and offered a terse, “said something shitty about my friend,” looking right at Shiro. They let him off with a warning and marked him down to activate with probationary status.

As all of the other committee members left the room, Shiro hung back. He stopped Keith by gently laying a hand on his shoulder. Keith turned around, worried Shiro would lecture him. “I don't know what he said, but thank for you for sticking up for me.” His soft smile faded into a laugh. “Next time maybe don't go for the face, though.”

“Noted.” Keith let out a laugh that was more relief than amusement as he replied.

They walked out of the room together.

..

Things shifted after that. Keith started staying in Shiro’s room after he was done with his homework. They played video games, watched TV, or hung out with the other brothers at the house. Spending time with Shiro was more fun than Keith could have imagined when he made the bet.

By the time the Halloween party rolled around, there were only two weeks left until Thanksgiving break and Keith's activation ceremony. Unfortunately Matt had decreed that all of the pledges present at the party had to be dressed as Minions.

It was a little humiliating, but Keith couldn't pass up the opportunity for free booze and time to spend with Shiro. Keith never saw the point in half-assing anything, though, so he threw his all into the costume. Shiro helped him cover every bit of skin that his overalls didn't hide in yellow body paint.

“Close your eyes,” Shiro commanded as he held the sponge. Keith closed his eyes and laughed as Shiro spread the chilly paint over him. “Quit squirming!” He chided teasingly.

“Tickles,” Keith protested quietly with a smile.

Shiro tutted at him. “No smiling, either. I need an even canvas!” He declared dramatically.

“Taking this ‘Bob Ross’ thing a little too serious, aren't you?” Keith teased, trying hard to keep his face still.

Shiro didn't answer, instead he finished painting the rest of Keith's face. He put the sponge back on his frisbee-turned-pallette. “There. Now you're a happy little Minion.”

“Yay me.” Keith deadpanned. They both cracked up as they left Shiro's room. Shiro's poofy wig brushed against the door frame as they walked out, and Keith couldn't help but hope it would snag. It didn't.

Every brother that passed him gave him a high-five or fist bump for his dedication and hilarious costume; all of the other pledges were jealous. Shiro hung out with him throughout the whole party, even grabbing Keith as his beer pong partner for game after game.

They dispatched the latest group of challengers with a few close calls, both more than a little drunk. “I think I'm done with pong for a while.” Shiro finally relented.

“You headed to bed, gramps?” Keith asked with a cheeky grin.

Keith's heart raced as Shiro ran his tongue over his bottom lip before answering. “Maybe. You wanna find out?”

Shiro ticked the corner of his mouth up into a half smile and raised an eyebrow as he turned around, heading for the stairs up to his room. Keith followed quickly behind him.

As soon as Keith walked into Shiro's room, he found himself pressed into the wall, pinned in place. He heard the door click shut next to his head as Shiro's mouth covered his.

Keith had been daydreaming about having Shiro like this almost since they met, and wrapped his arms around Shiro's broad shoulders, sliding a hand up under the wig on his head so he could thread his fingers into Shiro's hair.

It made him think back to Griffin's comment and he growled low in his throat at the momentary spike of anger, pulling himself even harder against Shiro's body. He wasn't proud that his next thought was of the bet.

Keith knew it didn’t matter even if Shiro was scarred or bald underneath the silly costume wig, it wouldn’t change his feelings. He pulled the wig off with his other hand and tilted his head, running his hand through Shiro’s hair as he slid his tongue over the roof of Shiro’s mouth.

Shiro groaned, pushing Keith harder into the wall. He flipped the lightswitch off with his prosthetic hand while his left pulled at the straps of Keith’s overalls. Keith wriggled out of the costume and kicked off his boots as Shiro unbuttoned his own shirt. They were both panting when they broke apart.

Shiro made quick work of his shoes, belt, and pants, tossing them to the side as he gripped Keith by the backs of his thighs and hauled him up to wrap his legs around Shiro’s waist. They stumbled to the bed and Keith gasped and closed his eyes as Shiro tossed him onto the sheets and followed quickly after.

He couldn’t help the long, low moan he let out as Shiro sucked a few marks into his collarbone, kissing his way down Keith’s chest. Blinking and squinting in the near-darkness, Keith couldn’t help inspecting the top of Shiro’s head as he kissed his way lower. _It looks perfectly normal…?_ He didn’t have a chance to finish the thought as Shiro pulled down his boxers, nipping lightly at his hip bone before moving lower.

It should have been a little scary to have Shiro’s metal hand around him, he'd seen the thing crush beer cans like they were paper, but he couldn't find it in himself to complain at firm but gentle grip. Shiro bobbed his head in a steady rhythm, groaning and humming as he worked himself open with his left hand while he took Keith apart with his mouth.

Shiro pulled off with a pop, wiped his slick hand on the rumpled sheets, and lunged up Keith's chest, claiming his mouth again. All of Keith's thoughts of Shiro's enthusiasm for hats were long gone as Shiro straddled his hips. Keith felt him sink down slowly and had to bite his own lip hard enough to bruise as he was enveloped in the tight heat.

Their lips and tongues slid against each other for a moment while Shiro adjusted to the stretch. When he was ready, he sat up and planted his hands on Keith's chest, rolling his hips. Keith shoved his knuckles into his mouth and bit down to keep himself from crying out as he bucked up, trying to keep up with Shiro's near-frantic pace.

Shiro didn't bother trying to keep quiet as Keith took him in hand. They'd probably get more than a few scandalous looks and teasing comments from the rest of the fraternity in the morning, but knowing he was the cause of the sounds spilling from Shiro's mouth was worth any amount of ridicule to Keith.

Keith's vision whited out as Shiro clenched hard around him, spilling out over his hand and stomach with another tantalizing moan. Shiro rode him hard through his own release before collapsing into a heap next to him. Keith pulled him close and rested their foreheads together as they caught their breath.

Shiro kissed him softly and ran his thumb over Keith's cheek. “You better be here when I wake up.” He murmured against Keith's lips.

“I will,” Keith promised.

They fell asleep facing each other, legs still tangled together.

..

Keith woke up to Shiro laughing. He opened a bleary eye, surprised he wasn’t more hungover. “What?”

He realized _what_ as soon as his eyes adjusted to the morning sun streaming in through the window. Shiro was absolutely covered in splotches of yellow body paint, as were the sheets, blankets, and pillowcases on Shiro’s bed. Keith felt his face go red as he realized what he must look like. “I am… so sorry.” He murmured, covering his face with his hands.

Shiro rolled on top of him and pulled his hands down. “Keith, it’s fine.” He pressed their lips together softly. “More than fine, it’s hilarious.”

Keith laughed and couldn’t help but watch as Shiro slid off of him and stepped around the piles of clothes littering the room. He pulled on a pair of boxers and his favorite hat before he grabbed a towel out of his dresser and scrubbed at the yellow paint all over his arms and chest. “S’all over your face, too.” Keith pointed out with a fond smile.

Shaking his head in defeat, Shiro walked back over to the bed and sat down. He wrung his hands in the towel and swore under his breath as his prosthetic ripped a small hole in it. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Keith asked in alarm, sitting next to Shiro and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I uh,” Shiro swallowed hard, looking down at the cloth in his lap, “I really like you, but we can’t tell anyone about this.” He turned his head to look into Keith’s eyes. “I don’t want anyone to think you didn’t become a full brother on your own merit.”

Keith frowned. “Yeah, makes sense.” It was touching, Shiro being worried about his honor. He didn’t bring up how he was sure the Delta Sig house down the block could have heard them the night before.

Shiro leaned in and kissed him again. “I hope you don’t think…” He trailed off again, searching for the right words. “We can tell everyone spring term, once you’re a full active.”

Keith smirked. “What if I just wanted a one-night stand?” He teased, poking at Shiro’s ribs.

Shiro laughed and swatted his hand away. “Yeah, you’ve been pretending to be bad at fluid dynamics all term just on the off chance that maybe I’d sleep with you one time.” He replied sarcastically.

Keith paled. “Wait, you knew…?”

Ruffling Keith’s hair and standing up again, Shiro grabbed a handful of clothes and his shower caddy. “Of course I knew it was because you liked me. You almost broke your hand punching a guy in the face for trash-talking me.”

Keith’s mouth opened and closed a few times as he utterly failed to respond. Shiro laughed again. “Come on, it’s only 8, I’m sure no one else is up yet.” He shook the shower caddy in Keith’s direction and pumped his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

It was more than enough motivation to have Keith pulling his own boxers on and following Shiro out the door.

The hallway was empty as they quietly headed to the bathroom. Even with the full light of the morning and the fluorescent bulb in the bathroom, Keith still couldn’t see a single thing wrong with Shiro’s head or haircut. Sure he had a few wisps of gray, but he didn’t seem to mind his completely silver bangs hanging out of the front of his hat all the time. _Maybe he just really likes hats,_ Keith decided, putting it out of his mind as he enjoyed their long, warm shower.

..

Two days before activation had Keith panicking about the bet. He walked into Shiro’s room like he did most Monday afternoons and quietly shut the door behind him. Shiro stood up and pulled him in for a gentle kiss.

Leaning his head back, Keith cringed a little as he looked into Shiro’s eyes. “I have to tell you something really dumb.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow and pulled his head away, giving Keith space to talk. “What’s up?”

Keith sighed and hung his head. “I made a really stupid bet with Matt at the beginning of pledging and I… I kinda need your help to finish it by activation.”

Chuckling, Shiro tipped Keith’s chin up and smiled at him. “What happens if you lose the bet?” He asked, knowing Matt’s track record.

“I… have to go to the Christmas party in a Santa Hat.” Shiro’s smile faded into a confused frown and he raised his eyebrow again at Keith’s answer. Keith sighed. “ _Just_ the hat.”

Shiro’s face turned bright red and he took a step back, already grabbing his stomach as he doubled over in laughter. Keith groaned and crossed his arms. “Ok, ok. I’m sorry. I’ll help.” Shiro finally gasped out as he caught his breath. “What do you need?”

Keith took a deep breath and licked his lips. “Why do you wear a hat all the time?” He asked after a long pause.

He waited a few seconds for Shiro to respond before looking up. He wasn’t prepared for the look of hurt and anger in Shiro’s eyes. “Is that… is that why you started hanging out with me?” He asked quietly.

Keith swallowed hard. “The first time it was,” he admitted quietly. “But after that it was because I wanted to see you, I swear.” His voice broke as Shiro’s expression turned cold.

Shiro looked up at the ceiling for a moment. The metal fingers of his right hand clicked as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He looked back at Keith and pulled his hat off, turning to the side and crossing his arms.

Keith roved his eyes over Shiro’s head for what must have been the thousandth time. “Shiro, I don’t… I don’t understand.” He whispered quietly.

Shiro walked over to his desk with a blank expression and grabbed a book. He turned back to Keith and set the book on his head. It balanced perfectly without wobbling.

“What does having good balance have to do with hats?” Keith threw his arms out in front of him as he asked. He could tell Shiro was beyond mad and had no idea why. The lack of explanation was driving him crazy.

Shiro grabbed the book and dropped it unceremoniously to the floor. His gaze followed it. “It has nothing to do with balance,” he all but growled, “I have… a flat head.” He murmured.

Keith couldn’t help but laugh, and regretted it as soon as it happened. Shiro’s eyes snapped up to Keith’s face and he looked like he might be warring with whether to cry to punch Keith in the mouth. “I got made fun of a lot for it in middle school and high school, so I started wearing hats. Thanks for reminding me of the worst years of my life.” He bent down and picked the book up off the floor, turning his back to Keith.

Keith rushed forward and put his hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Shiro, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” Shiro shrugged his hand away and didn’t turn around. “I’ve seen you without your hat on a million times and never noticed, I promise.”

His heart broke along with Shiro’s voice. “You should go. Enjoy whatever you win from Matt.” He tossed the book back to the desk and crossed his arms. “And lose my number.”

“Shiro please-” Keith started to apologize again.

Shiro cut him off. “I said go, Keith.” His tone left no room for argument.

Keith left like Shiro asked. His heart was heavy and his eyes were wet as he headed down to the basement to Matt’s room.


	2. Chapter 2

The activation ceremony was beyond awkward. Keith stood in the long line of pledges in the best suit he could find at Goodwill as Shiro read from the official fraternity handbook. It was stuffy in the dark room, packed as it was full of brothers.

As president, it was Shiro’s job to make his way down the line of pledges and teach them each the official fraternity handshake and motto. He hesitated in front of Keith when it was his turn. They shared an intense look that had Keith sweating under his scratchy jacket.

Shiro held out his prosthetic hand where Keith could easily see it between them, gesturing for Keith to mimic the slightly complicated configuration he’d placed his fingers in. Keith replicated the pose and offered Shiro a hopeful smile as their hands met. Shiro was all business, leaning in and whispering the motto. Keith repeated it quietly and flatly.

After the last pledge was officially inducted, Shiro went back to the podium and clanged the gavel against its pedestal three times. “I welcome you all now as full brothers. Congratulations.” He finished the ceremony with a smile that didn’t meet his eyes as one of the other officers flipped on the lights.

Matt pretended to cry as he grabbed as many of the new actives into a group hug as his arms would fit. “My dumb, idiot babies, you’re finally real boys now!” He sobbed melodramatically, to uproarious laughter.

Keith swallowed hard as he made his way across the room to Shiro. “Hey, nice hat.” He murmured quietly. It was a thinly veiled excuse to talk to him, but _was_ a nice hat: a classic black fedora that looked older than Shiro. It wasn't a douchey trillby covered in cat hair like most Fedora-wearers on campus insisted on inflicting upon the world.  

“Thanks.” Shiro replied with a fake, polite smile.

Keith sighed. “Shiro, can we-”

Shiro cut him off before he could finish his question. “Congratulations on activating. I should go talk to the rest of the new brothers.” He said coldly.

Keith let him go without protest.

..

Matt had taken pity on him, or at least, as much pity as Matt was capable of feeling. Admittedly, it wasn't much.

_“I found out why Shiro wears hats all the time.” Keith said quietly, walking into Matt’s room and shutting the door behind him._

_Matt looked up from his desk with a smirk. “Good work, kid. Spill it!”_

_Keith shook his head. He took a long moment to collect himself, not trusting his voice. “I can't tell you. It's really personal and he's… he doesn't like for people to know.” His voice didn't break, but he could feel tears swimming in his eyes._

_Sighing, Matt stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. “Well, I respect you honoring his trust like that. However…”_

The night of the Christmas party came far too swiftly for Keith's liking. He took off all of his clothes in Matt's room and put on the mandatory red silk boxers. Frowning at his reflection in the mirror as he turned around, he read the colorful, festive font with groan.

_Jingle my bells!_ Was splayed across his ass in gold and green glitter. Small chains of Christmas lights and candy canes and little silver bells were printed across the rest of the fabric.

“At least I'll be comfortable while I humiliate myself.” Keith grumbled to no one in particular as he put on his Santa hat and walked up the stairs to the party proper.

As he made his way to the living room where the speakers were set up, everyone stared and laughed. He'd been expecting it, but he still bristled at the unwanted attention. Gripping the microphone in his hand so hard his knuckles went white, he paused the music and plugged it in.

“Excuse me, hi everyone.” He started, taking a deep breath. “I'm Keith, and I have an announcement.”

Matt pushed his way through the crowd to get a front row seat for the rest of Keith's ordeal.

Keith sighed before he continued. “Matt Holt is the best pledge master and also human being of all time. I want to be as cool as him someday.” He deadpanned, staring coldly at Matt.

Matt clapped a few times before gesturing for Keith to continue.

Turning around so the small hoard of brothers and guests gathered in front him could read his shorts, he hung his head. “Also, I,” he gritted his teeth, “I love to have my bells jingled. Merry Christmas.” He shook his ass three times, Matt had declared that the minimum, and unplugged the microphone, starting the music again so it could drown out some of the mocking laughter.

Matt wiped a fake tear from his eye and clapped Keith on the back. “Ah, you're such a good sport. Go put some clothes on.” He said with a wink, heading back to the party.

Shiro bounded down the stairs as Keith was headed to the basement, stopping at the bottom to stare at the sight in red-faced awe. Keith sighed. “Sorry, you missed the show.” He crossed his arms and looked down.

Shiro approached until there was almost no space in between them. “You… you didn't win the bet?” He asked quietly.

Keith worked his jaw a few times before answering. “I told Matt you wouldn't want me to tell him, so I wouldn't. Let me off the bet a little easier.” He explained, still refusing to meet Shiro's gaze.

“Keith,” Shiro murmured so quietly Keith almost didn't hear him. He cupped Keith's face and turned it so they could look at each other. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears that didn't match his smile.

Keith didn't get a chance to say anything in response before Shiro pulled him in for a passionate kiss. People snickered as they walked by the amorous display, but neither of them cared. At the call of, “Yeah, jingle those bells!” Shiro leaned away, blushing for an entirely different reason.

“We should,” he started, stammering, “can we talk? Upstairs?” Shiro finally managed to ask.

Keith nodded with a smile and followed Shiro's lead up to his room.

The door clicked shut behind them, and Shiro pulled off the Santa hat he'd been wearing. “I can't believe… you did that for me.” The cheap fabric of the hat tore in his wringing hands.

“I'd do anything for you,” Keith said before he could tamp the words down.

The ripped hat fell to the ground as Shiro pushed him against the door and kissed him until he was breathless. “I'm sorry I was such a dick about it.” He whispered against Keith's lips. “It's just,”

Keith cut him off with another kiss. “Don’t have to explain yourself.” He assured, running his knuckles across Shiro's cheek.

Shiro caught his hand and pressed his lips to Keith's palm. “Do you forgive me?” He asked pleadingly.

“I should be asking _you_ that.” Keith protested.

Shiro chuckled. “How about neither of us ask, and we go see about jingling those bells?” He suggested with a coy grin, eyes darting over to his bed.

Keith laughed and rested his forehead on Shiro’s. “So we’re ok?” He asked quietly, needing to be sure.

“More than ok, Keith.” Shiro murmured brushing their lips together again.

It was all the reassurance Keith needed, pushing back against Shiro's chest towards the bed. They fell onto Shiro's sheets in a tangle of limbs as their mouths moved against each other.

Keith had missed everything about Shiro over the past few lonely weeks, but nothing more than the warmth and security he felt with their arms wrapped around each other. They pulled off Shiro's clothes and the embarrassing shorts Keith had been stuck with as quickly as they could manage. Once undressed, their pace slowed; both desperate for as much skin to skin contact as possible as their hands and mouths traced familiar paths over each other's bodies.

The click of a lid being uncapped had Keith thrumming in anticipation. Shiro swallowed Keith's gasps with bruising kisses as he gently slid his fingers inside. Neither of them gave a second thought to keeping quiet as Shiro wrapped Keith's legs around his waist and pushed steadily until their hips met.

Shiro laced the fingers of his left hand with Keith's right and kissed across his jaw. “I missed you so much,” he panted, nipping at Keith's earlobe.

Keith replied with a desperate moan, digging his fingers into Shiro's shoulder blade and meeting every snap of his hips. He turned his face, the need for Shiro's mouth on his becoming urgent. Shiro obliged him happily.  

They panted against each other’s cheeks when their lungs began to burn for air with the exertion, their separation fueling a frenzied reconciliation. Keith’s blunt nails left rings of red scratches against Shiro’s back as they reached their peaks together.

Once his rapid heartbeat slowed to approaching normal, Shiro slid off of Keith with one more kiss, rolling over onto his back. Keith turned to rest his head on Shiro’s chest, tangling their legs together.

“You know, we should really get Matt back for embarrassing you.” Shiro murmured sleepily, nosing at Keith's hair.

Keith’s hand stilled where it was tracing the hard lines of muscle on Shiro’s stomach. “Worked out pretty good.” He replied, pressing a kiss into Shiro’s collarbone.

Shiro hummed in contentment, pulling Keith closer. “Still, though.”

They fell asleep without discussing it further, but Shiro already had a few things in mind.

..

Matt laughed sarcastically and crossed his arms over his chest. “Ok, I’ll bite. Why the hell do you think that’s happening?”

Shiro matched his smirk. “Oh you know, just some drunk texts I saved for just such an occasion.”

Matt paled and lowered his hands, gripping the edges of his seat tightly.

“Maybe I'll show them to that hot TA. You know, the one you're getting the lit minor to stalk. What was his name again?” Shiro asked, rubbing his chin in thought mockingly. “Landon? Logan? Loto-”

Matt cut him off. “Ok Shirogane, you made your damn point. I'll wear the stupid shirt.” Shiro stared at him pointedly. “Come on, man. Isn’t the hat a little a much?”

Shiro shook his head. “You’re wearing the ass hat, asshat.” His tone left no room for argument.

Matt groaned but agreed.

..

Keith smiled and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Shiro’s mouth. “You don’t have do this, you know.” He reassured, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s shoulders.

Shiro smiled back and held Keith’s waist, swaying them gently to the music coming from downstairs. “I know.” He nodded to the hat resting backwards on Keith’s head. “It looks good on you.” His cheeks tinted a faint pink.

Keith kissed him again. “I’ll stick close. If you want it back, just grab it.” He knocked their noses together. “Anyone says anything I’ll deck ‘em.”

"I know you will." He replied. Running his fingers briefly through the short waves of hair at the nape of Keith’s neck hanging under the brim of his hat, Shiro turned and opened the door. “Alright, let’s do this.”

They walked down the stairs hand in hand. Keith raised an eyebrow as Shiro pulled out his phone. “I have a surprise for you.” Shiro replied to his questioning gaze.

A few minutes later Matt walked up the stairs from the basement in a white, XL, V-neck undershirt, with the words “I’m an Ass” scrawled messily in sharpie across the chest. In one hand he held a beer bong and in the other… some kind of animal head. Keith looked over at Shiro in amusement as Matt stomped his way into the living room. He elbowed Griffin hard in the ribs. “Go get me a beer, freshman.” He demanded, glaring over at Shiro and pausing the music.

When Griffin came back with his beer, he put the donkey hat on his head and cracked the can open. “HEE HAW MOTHERFUCKERS!” He shouted, draining the beer into the funnel and stuffing the tube into his mouth. Once only foam remained, he threw the beer bong to the floor. “Takashi Shirogane is a gentleman and a scholar and-” He stopped mid-sentence stared at Shiro incredulously, finally noticing his lack of a hat. “Has a really sexy undercut, apparently, holy shit.”

Everyone turned at stared at Shiro as Matt finished. His face turned bright red at the attention and he looked pleadingly at Keith. “He’s taken, assholes!” Keith shouted with glare to the group at large, holding up their joint hands.

Shiro pulled him forward with a laugh and leaned down to kiss him again. At the teasing cries to _“get a room!”_ Keith stuck up his middle finger, but Shiro leaned away, still grinning.

Matt walked up to them and tossed his arms up, shaking his head in confusion. “What the hell?” He couldn’t formulate anything more articulate.

“What?” Shiro asked, face still flushed from the embarrassment and the kiss. “I just… really like hats.”

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to zan phaltu on tumblr for the hilarious premise, and also shoutout to kenobrea for the amazing line "you're wearing the ass hat, ass hat" <3 <3 <3


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